Neapolitan-style Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella, Tomatoes, and Arugula

I've been needing to get this post out of my system since I posted the pasta recipe with wild arugula.  Here's another delicious way to eat wild arugula!  This is the simplest weeknight meal that you can have on the table in under an hour.  I've already blogged the recipe for the neapolitan pizza dough here (this time I let the dough rise for half an hour though).  Follow the directions for making your pizza dough, then simply top with your favorite tomato sauce (or make your own simple tomato sugo-see below), slices of fresh mozzarella, slices of tomato, and a handful of wild arugula and you're ready go!  Bake at 450-500 for 8-12 minutes.

I also want to introduce my improvised rolling pin.  A couple months ago our family stayed for a week in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  I did a lot of baking while we were there, but I didn't bring a rolling pin so I improvised one with an empty wine bottle!  It worked so well as a rolling pin that I've been using an empty wine bottle when I bake at home instead of my nice wooden pin!

World's Simplest Tomato Sugo (yummy on pasta, risotto, pizza, and more!)
1 lb. ripe Campari or San Marzano tomatoes
1 stick salted butter

Melt butter in pan.  Halve the tomatoes and place face down in the melted butter.  Cook over low heat stirring/pressing occasionally until the tomatoes have broken down and formed a sauce with the butter.  Strain in a fine mesh sieve to remove skins and seeds.  Taste.  Add salt if necessary.

*Note: This is not a thick/chunky Ragu-style sauce, which is what most American families are used to eating with their Spaghetti.  It is a thin, fresh tasting sauce that reminds me of the kind of tomato sauce I ate often when I lived in Rome.  I hope you enjoy it!

Fresh from the Garden: Penne with Wild Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, and Herbed Goat Cheese

Ok, so the cherry tomatoes aren't fresh from the garden-yet.  But the arugula is!  Our first harvest of the season was about a pound of wild arugula.  My husband was actually cleaning up the vegetable beds and checking out what herbs had re-sown themselves after going to seed in the fall, when he started pulling up arugula thinking it was a weed!  I had my back to him, but almost instantly I smelled the familiar spicy aroma and I said "Wait!  That's arugula that you're pulling!"  Sure enough.  He had a couple good clumps up by the roots.  All was not lost, we still have several thriving plants in the herb bed.  The goat cheese in this recipe is from a local goat farm and apiary.  It is a secret gourmet blend, so I can't tell you exactly what herbs and spices are in it, but any herbed goat cheese will do and if you want you can add a sprinkle of cayenne for an extra kick.  This is a delicious, fresh, no-cook sauce that you can have ready by the time the pasta is cooked.

Ingredients:

12 oz. penne pasta
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
Several handfuls of fresh, wild arugula, coarsely chopped
4 oz. herbed goat cheese
2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
Pinch cayenne (optional)
Sea salt to taste
Approx. 2 Tbsp. olive oil

Cook penne according to package directions.  In the meantime combine tomatoes, arugula, and garlic in a bowl.  Crumble over goat cheese and season as desired.  Drizzle oil over the fresh ingredients and toss to combine.  When penne is 'al dente' drain and add to the bowl tossing to coat in the sauce.  Taste and add seasoning or more oil as desired.

Neapolitan Pizza Dough & White Pizza Recipe

One of the things I miss most about living in Italy is pizza.  They make the best pizza dough there, thin but chewy.  I know there are pizzerias in the States that make this kind of dough but I don't seem to ever live near any of them.  The mainstream delivery places make "thin crust" pizzas now but they are crispy and all wrong!  This recipe is the nearest thing I have found to traditional Neapolitan pizza dough.  Thin, but still soft and flexible.  And an added bonus, no waiting for the dough to rise!

• 3 tsp. dry yeast
• 1/4 teaspoon of sugar
• 3/4 cup of lukewarm water
• 1 3/4 cups of unbleached white flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Place lukewarm water in stand mixer bowl and add sugar.  Sprinkle over yeast and let sit for 5-10 minutes until frothy.   Add salt and flour.  Knead on speed 2 for about 3 minutes.  Turn dough out onto floured pizza stone and stretch by hand into a 12" circle.  Top with your favorite toppings (white pizza recipe below) and bake in a preheated oven at 450-500 F for 8-12 minutes.  Put toppings on THINLY, if you put a lot of toppings or sauce on then cook longer at the lower temp or the dough won't cook all the way through.  If you are lucky enough to have a wood fired oven in your backyard this would be even more amazing and authentic (husband are you reading?).

We love pizza with all kinds of toppings but the one pictures above is a white pizza and here's how you make it:

In lieu of a red tomato-based pizza sauce make a garlic butter sauce as follows:

Melt half a stick of butter in the microwave or on your stovetop. Add 2 cloves crushed, chopped fresh garlic.  Do not cook the garlic just allow it to flavor the butter.

Spread garlic butter on pizza crust.

Top with:

*Slices of fresh mozzarella cheese
*Dollops of ricotta cheese
*Shredded Pecorino Romano cheese
*Chopped fresh basil
*Fresh ground black pepper

(Also great with goat cheese!...and pine nuts...and roasted garlic cloves...the possibilities are endless)

www.asimmeringpotandamom.com

Chicken Tetrazzini with Cremini and Pancetta

Here's an easy weeknight meal you can make with roast chicken leftovers.  Also wonderful with petite sweet peas, I didn't have any the day I photographed this but it is very good with them.

Ingredients:
1 lb Linguine
4 oz. Pancetta or Bacon
1 cup leftover roast chicken or rotisserie chicken chopped/shredded
1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms
1/4 cup white wine
1 tbsp. flour
1 cup milk
1/3 cup whole cream
1 cup shredded pecorino romano cheese (also good with parmesan, mild cheddar, monterey jack, etc., I like a lot of cheese as you can tell, you can adjust to your taste)
2/3 cup peas

Bring a pot of salted water with 1 tbsp. olive oil to a boil over high heat.  Add linguine, reduce heat and boil as directed on package.

Meanwhile saute pancetta or bacon over medium heat.  Add shredded chicken and continue to cook until bacon is crisping.  Add cremini and saute 2 minutes until mushrooms start to lose their water.  Add white wine and stir to scrape any browned bits off bottom of pan.  Sprinkle over flour and stir for 1 minute.  Reduce heat to low and add milk and cream slowly, stirring constantly until there is a thickened, creamy sauce.  Add peas and cheese.  Stir over low heat until cheese is melted.  Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Mom's Cannelloni

Warm, hearty, and filling. Don't be daunted by the long list of ingredients or the part about making the crepes. I was a little the first time I made it but it was sooo easy! It now takes me (almost) no time to whip this up. And if I don't have the time to make the crepes sometimes I make a "Mom's Cannelloni Casserole" (recipe to follow).

MOM'S CANNELLONI

My mother-in-law makes this amazing cannelloni, which is my husband's FAVORITE meal. Last time he deployed this is what he requested as his homecoming meal. My mother-in-law got this recipe from a friend and has been making it since 1977. The "noodles" are actually crepes! (Don't run out to the store and buy a fancy crepe pan, any small non-stick pan will do!)


CREPE BATTER:

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

3 eggs

1 2/3 cups milk

1 tbsp. oil

FILLING:

1 lb. ground beef (I make it with ground turkey breast)

1 tbsp butter

1 clove garlic, crushed

1, 10 oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed (I make it with chopped, cooked fresh spinach)

3 Oz liver pate (sometimes this is hard to find, recently I've been using cream cheese instead, which obviously tastes nothing like liver pate but it has a similar consistency and binds everything together)

1/2 C parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

nutmeg, oregano, salt and pepper to taste

CREAM SAUCE:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup flour

3 cups chicken stock

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup white wine (optional)

1/4 c. grated Swiss cheese

dash nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

8oz tomato sauce (I've been using tinned crushed San Marzano tomatoes, I like the fresh and less salty taste)

grated parmesan cheese

Prepare crepes by blending all ingredients in bowl: Pour scant 1/4 cup of batter into crepe pan-turn out onto clean dish towel to cool. Makes 12 crepes

Brown ground beef or turkey. Drain if necessary. Add remaining filling ingredients. Place scant 1/4 cup in each crepe. Roll and place in lightly greased baking dishes (13 x 9).

Cream sauce: Prepare as basic bechamel sauce, adding wine and cheese last. Pour over crepes to cover well---this makes a lot of sauce and you may not need it all.

Top with a wide ribbon of tomato sauce and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake 350 or 25-30 minutes until bubbly.

MOM'S CANNELLONI CASSEROLE

Sometimes I crave the cannelloni but don't have time to make the crepes. I just boil up a package of Rotini or Penne pasta. Combine it with the ground beef or turkey "filling." Pour into a buttered baking dish and top with bechamel sauce, the ribbon of tomato sauce, parmesan and bake!

Posted on: www.asimmeringpotandamom.blogspot.com

Spinach and Artichoke Pizza with Mushrooms, Goat Cheese, and Balsamic Vinegar

It sounds fancy, but trust me, your whole family, even your kids, will love it!







For the Pizza:
Make your own pizza dough
(Here's the recipe from a previous post)

or

Buy a store-bought dough or crust

For the toppings:
1/2 cup marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
4 tbsp. goat cheese
2 artichoke hearts chopped (from a jar or can)
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms (from approx. 3 mushrooms)
1/3 cup chopped fresh spinach
2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Top pizza dough with marinara sauce (either homemade or jarred). Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Dot with artichoke hearts and mushrooms. Sprinkle with fresh spinach. Crumble goat cheese over top and drizzle with balsamic vinegar.

Bake according to pizza crust package (usually 8-10 minutes at 450 degrees) or 15 minutes at 425 degrees if using homemade dough.

Enjoy!

Fabulous Mac n' Cheese

An American classic. Some say the macaroni and cheese dish was invented by Thomas Jefferson, who served it in the White House in 1802. Others claim it was not invented by Jefferson but he did bring back a macaroni mold to the US from Paris. One thing is certain, the macaroni and cheese dinner was catapulted to fame in 1932 with the release of the Kraft Dinner. Kraft now sells over 1 million boxes of macaroni and cheese each DAY. But if you're looking for something a little more home-made, here is an indulgent version of my favorite comfort food.

Ingredients:
10 oz. macaroni or ditalini
2 oz. velveeta
2 oz. cream cheese
2 oz. sour cream
2 oz. shredded cheddar
2 oz. shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup milk
3 strips bacon, chopped, cooked until slightly crisp, drained
1/2 cup petite sweet peas (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
3-4 tbsp. bread crumbs
2-3 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Pre-heat oven to 350 and put a medium pot of water on to boil.

Place velveeta, cream cheese, sour cream and milk in a saucepan over med-low heat. Whisk cheeses until melted. Add shredded cheddar, shredded mozzarella, bacon, peas (if using), salt, and pepper. Whisk until cheese have melted. Remove from heat.

Cook pasta according to directions until al dente.

Combine pasta and sauce in a medium casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes. Enjoy!

Picollini Farfalle alla Carbonara

Can pasta be adorable? Because Barilla's new Picollini series are the most adorable pasta I've ever seen. Check your local grocery store for these miniature versions of popular pasta shapes that are sure to delight children and adults alike.

Tonight I made picollini farfalle (little butterflies) alla carbonara. Carbonara is a Roman dish that is traditionally made with guanciale (pig's cheek), but since I'm pretty sure you won't find guanciale anywhere in the US, use pancetta, which comes from the pigs belly and is somewhat like bacon, but MUCH tastier.
When I lived in Rome a chef there told me it was an abomination to make a carbonara sauce with whole cream. The sauce is usually made with guanciale or pancetta, eggs, and a bit of pecorino romano. I guess it's the indulgent American in me, but I still make carbonara with whole cream and, brace yourself, and entire 2/3 cup of cheese (pecorino romano, parmesan, asiago, mozzarella, and provolone tonight but just romano and mozzarella will do). A true abomination.

Here's what you will need (this serves 2 adults and 2 toddlers, you can double it for bigger appetites):

1/2 lb. pasta Toddler Tip! Picollini farfalle or other small pasta shapes are great for kids, spaghetti or bucatini is the traditional pasta shape but the small pasta is easier for little hands.
4 egg yolks
1/3 cup shredded pecorino romano (you can sub parmesan or a mix)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella
1/3 cup whole cream
2 oz. pancetta, chopped
bunch of fresh Italian parsley, chopped
black pepper

Put on a big pot of salted water to boil. Add a little olive oil to the pot so your pasta doesn't stick together.

In the meantime chop the pancetta. Pancetta is like a dry, cured, thinly sliced bacon usually seasoned with pepper corns and sometimes with other seasonings. It is salt-cured and hung to dry for several months so although it looks like raw bacon it is completely edible as-is and is very delicious eaten raw. Be brave and try it! I think it is better raw than cooked, but it is also much better cooked than American-style bacon. Salty, peppery, amazing. Dress it up-If you're having guests you can serve it on an antipasto plate with salami and prosciutto accompanied by another plate of Italian cheeses and grissini (breadsticks). I lived in Sicily as a young teen, and I never really came around on all the cured meats, it wasn't my thing. It wasn't until I went back and lived in Rome for several months as an adult that I found a love for Italian cured meats. One of my favorites in Rome was speck, which is made from the thighs of the pig, it is simply amazing. We just don't get that many varieties of Italian cured meats in the US, probably because of FDA regs. The home-grown varieties I've tried are good (the pancetta I used tonight was made in Rhode Island), but a pig from Rhode Island just doesn't compare to one from Latium.

I just got off on a tangent there, but seriously, try the pancetta "raw".

Back to our recipe. Pan fry the chopped pancetta in a little olive oil. It cooks fast so it really only needs a couple of minutes. Then set aside to cool.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together egg yolks, cream, cheeses, and parsley. Stir in the cooled pancetta.

When the pasta is "al dente", which literally translates to "to the tooth", describing the perfect level of done-ness, when the pasta is tender but with a bite. Drain and immediately add to the bowl with the egg and pancetta mixture. Stir, allowing the heat of the pasta to cook the egg and thicken the sauce. The sauce should be smooth and creamy, it should not look like scrambled eggs!

Enjoy!

Personal Pizzas with Chicken, Prosciutto, Tomatoes, and Cipolline

Today we made pizza. Sometimes I make a big pizza, but it's more fun for the little ones if you make personal-sized pizzas and let the kids help top them with all the goodies. I think they enjoy their dinner more when they had a hand in making it. :) I have a couple of good pizza dough recipes. Tyler Florence (foodnetwork.com) has a good one that I have altered slightly to suit my taste ( I use sea salt instead of kosher salt and add a tsp of sugar to balance out the extra saltiness).

For the dough:
1 pkg dry yeast
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees F)
2 tsp sugar
3/4 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp
2.75 cups flour

Put the water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast and sugar. Stir and let sit 5 minutes while the yeast activates and gets foamy. Add salt and 2 tbsp olive oil and mix on low speed. Add flour 1 cup at a time and mix on speed 2 to combine. Continue to mix on speed 2 for 5 minutes until a nice dough forms and cleans the sides of the mixing bowl.

Put a tablespoon of olive oil in a large bowl and place the dough in the bowl, turning to coat. Cover with a tea towel or cling wrap and allow to rise for 1 hour.

In the meantime.....

For the toppings I used chicken, prosciutto, tomatoes, and cipolline (delicious little, flat, sweet Italian onions). You will also want a jar of your favorite marinara sauce-for pizza I like something simple like the Bertolli Organic Tomato & Basil, and I just use bagged, shredded mozzarella and provolone.

Chop the chicken into chunks, season with salt and pepper, and saute in olive oil until cooked through. Set aside in small bowl.

Tear prosciutto into pieces and set aside in another bowl.

Slice tomatoes and place them in a bowl.

Peel and slice cipolline and place them in a fourth bowl.

Put a little marinara sauce in a 5th bowl and a handful of shredded mozza & prova in a final bowl.

Arrange all the bowls on a countertop dusted with flour so that when your dough has risen you can turn it out on your floured surface and then let your little sous chefs create pizza masterpieces!












Ok, so now the dough has risen. Separate it into 3 or 4 equally sized pieces. Pat and stretch each piece into a pizza shape, make them thinner in the center and a little thicker near the edges so there is a collar to hold all the toppings in.

Brush pizzas with olive oil and top with sauce, cheese, and toppings as desired.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Yum.